When the weather outside starts to heat up, people start turning on their air conditioners in an effort to cool down. This usually leads to brownouts or blackouts across the province.  In an effort to conserve energy, the Ontario government is offering incentives to people with smart thermostats who are willing to reduce their air conditioning and energy use during peak hours. Those who enroll will see the temperature in their house adjusted by two to four degrees up to 10 times between June and September for up to three hours during peak periods for electricity. For those without s ..read more

This month marks the annual day my body has survived the Earth's rotation around the sun. I plan to celebrate this occasion by getting as much free food as possible. Using the world's most popular search engine, I checked how many places offer complimentary items on one's birthday or birthday month. Most places require you to sign up for an email list or download an app a couple of days before your birthday; start at least a month before the day you were born to get all that's coming to you. Below is a way to break down the offers available by type of meal - happy birthday to you. AVOID AN UN ..read more

Everyone and their dog believes the Caesar salad has something to do with Rome's most recognizable emperor Julius Caesar. This is not the case. You may be even more surprised to learn that the Caesar salad didn't even originate in Italy, ancient or otherwise. The most commonly accepted origin of the famous side salad claims it was named after an Italian chef named Caesar Cardini who threw it together out of necessity when his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico was busy and he had to serve his customers something. Traditionally prepared and served tableside, the original recipe ..read more

I'm not much of a writer, but I know bullshit when I read it. Despite the fact you're now a former Ottawa Citizen city columnist, I stumbled across a recent column of yours. It was about how you bemoaned how complicated food has gotten and how you pine for simpler times at the grocery store.  I get that you have to write something to justify the bone thrown your way, but there's a reason why you retired from the daily grind of writing a newspaper column in the first place. Consider filling those hours with a basic cooking class. I don't get how someone who is aware of "The Google" a ..read more

Philadelphia is known for its rabid sports fans and its love of sandwiches. After pelting Santa Claus with snowballs after an Eagles loss in the sixties, you can guarantee a lot of cheesesteaks were consumed afterwards. According to legend, the famous sandwich was created in the early 1930s by Pat and Harry Olivieri. The two brothers owned a hot dog stand, and one day, they decided to make a sandwich made with chopped beef and grilled onions. After a cab driver saw the sandwich and asked for one, he suggested the Olivieris quit selling hot dogs and make sandwiches instead. As Philadelphi ..read more

As a New York Jets fan, I can't help but wonder what could have been as the NFL heads into this year's playoffs. While my favourite team didn't make the playoffs (again), their defense improved enough to keep them in most of their games this year, and at one point, a wildcard spot was a serious possibility. But, as usual, the Jets faltered. The only consistent bright spot on the Jets this season was rookie cornerback Ahmad "Sauce" Gardner. Selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft from the University of Cincinnati, Sauce helped lift the Jets' defense from the bottom of the leagu ..read more

In the early 1990s, there was a popular Japanese cooking show called "Iron Chef". The premise involved a man named Chairman Kaga assembling an arena where gourmet chefs from around the world competed in a timed contest against one of his Iron Chefs, masters of various international cooking styles.  The show became a surprise hit in North America when subtitled (later overdubbed) episodes started airing on stations around the U.S. After the show ended in 1999, an American version was attempted in 2001, featuring Star Trek's Captain Kirk. How does William Shatner figure into some ..read more

As someone who has lived in Canada his entire life, I'll never understand people who like winter over summer. My hometown is the world's coldest capital city more often than not. You would think by now I would get accustomed to all the ice, slush, and snow that make every winter seem rougher and more frigid than the last, far from it.  I'm one of those people who never complain when the mercury rises above 30 degrees Celsius.  Mainly because I know windchills below 30 degrees Celsius will soon be a regular part of the forecast. For me, it's much easier to enjoy the weather when it's ..read more

Rising food and housing costs; low wages; not enough work hours - people are relying on food banks more than ever before. According to a Feed Ontario report, the people in this province have been visiting food banks in greater numbers and in more frequency for six years running. Now more than ever, a donation to your local food bank would be greatly appreciated. As we head into the holiday season, a novel way to help the less fortunate this Christmas would be to create a reverse advent food calendar. As I posted on the Franklin on Food Facebook page, each day you would add an item to a b ..read more

Ottawa is back in the food and wine festival game this year with the debut of the Crave Food & Wine Festival. These are the impressions my wife and I had on Day 1 of the latest version of the premier food and wine event in the nation's capital. After the fiasco from the last Food and Wine Festival, I assume the Shaw Centre and anyone else working this event got whatever money owed to them upfront. Unlike the last time we went to one of these shows, there weren't long lineups to get in, which is a plus. We got there after 7:30pm and were surprised at how few people we saw on the way ..read more